John Boehner: President Obama using troops as ‘props’ on sequester

House Speaker John Boehner accused President Barack Obama of using soldiers as props as he campaigns around the country to blunt the automatic spending cuts to the Pentagon that take hold on Friday.

“The president says we have to have another tax increase in order to avoid the sequester,” Boehner told reporters Monday. “Well, Mr. President, you got your tax increase. It’s time to cut spending here in Washington. Instead of using our military men and women as campaign props, if the president was serious, he would sit down with [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid and begin to address our problems. The House has acted twice. We shouldn’t have to act a third time before the Senate begins to do their work.”

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It’s not a particularly hopeful message as Congress and the administration are in their respective corners over so-called sequestration.

Obama heads to Newport News, Va., on Tuesday for an event meant to pressure Congressional Republicans to accept revenue increases to help pay down the automatic cuts. House Republicans passed a bill last Congress to replace the cuts.

Asked if the across-the-board spending reductions would take effect, Boehner said “hope springs eternal.”

Boehner said he did not know how many jobs would be lost if the cuts begin as scheduled March 1.

“If we don’t solve the spending problem here in Washington there will be tens of millions of jobs in the future that wont happen because of the debt load that’s being laid on the back of our kids and our grandkids,” Boehner said. “I came here to save the American dream for my kids and yours. This debt problem and the president’s addiction to spending is threatening our future.”